Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Institut für Philosophie

This course examines philosophical questions surrounding genealogy. What is the philosophical relevance of understanding the history of our moral attitudes, political institutions, and social practices? Do genealogies need to be “real history” or can they be fictional or idealized in various ways? Does genealogy help facilitate normative assessment of our current attitudes and practices, and if so, how? Is there a “genealogical fallacy” and, if so, how can it be avoided? Readings will include Nietzsche, Foucault, Raymond Geuss, and contemporary authors.

This course can be taken as a "Hauptseminar" at the Department of Philosophy. However, no graded examinations ("Modulabschlussprüfungen") can be held in this course.

There will be a preparatory meeting on June 26th at 16:00h via Zoom. For more info on that and to get access to the Moodle page for the course (where the syllabus and the literature are available), please send an e-mail to: alex.radev.1[at]hu-berlin.de